7.5 The Fire that Love Allows

The companion to "Refined for His Glory" on the Glory album, "The Fire That Love Allows" is a gospel-centered worship ballad that explores how suffering and trials, though painful, are used by God to refine believers—not as punishment, but as an act of love. Inspired by 1 Peter 4:12–19 and deeply influenced by Tim Keller’s theology, the song proclaims that the fires we walk through are not signs of God’s absence, but of His presence and purpose.

The lyrics trace a journey from confusion in suffering to trust in God's refining love. It points to the cross of Christ as the assurance that our trials are not for condemnation—because Jesus bore the full weight of judgment for us. Instead, our pain becomes the means through which God shapes us into the image of His Son.

The chorus, “This is the fire that love allows,” captures the central idea: suffering is not meaningless, but a grace-filled process that produces glory. The song ends with hopeful surrender—acknowledging that even ashes can become holy, and that Christ has crowned our suffering with eternal significance.

Suffering Doesn’t Mean You’re Failing—It Means You’re Being Formed

When we go through trials, we often think something has gone wrong: “Why is this happening to me?” But Peter says the fiery trial is not strange—it’s part of the Christian life. Tim Keller would add: “The gospel does not promise a life free of suffering. It promises a life where suffering is redeemed.”

In other words, trials do not contradict God's love—they confirm it. The fire is not punishment; it’s refinement. Like a master silversmith, God allows the heat to rise—not to destroy us, but to burn away the things that cannot last: false identities, pride, self-sufficiency, the illusion of control. He does this so something more precious—Christ’s likeness—can emerge.

God’s Glory Isn’t Just Beyond the Fire—It’s In It

Peter tells us to rejoice in suffering not for its own sake, but because we’re sharing in Christ’s sufferings. That’s the key. Keller often reminded us: “Jesus lost all His glory so you could be clothed in it.” Because of the cross, we know that God is not distant from pain—He stepped into it. And He didn’t just suffer as an example—He suffered as a substitute.

The gospel says that on the cross, Jesus took the fire of judgment so that all our suffering now is only fire of refinement. That means when you’re in the fire, you are never alone—you are walking where Jesus already walked. And the result isn’t just survival—it’s transformation. God is shaping you for glory.

What Should We Remember in the Fire?

When the flames of life's difficulties are growing hot we want to ask "How can I get out of this?" But 1 Peter allows us to consider "What is God forming in me through this?" Here are a few truths to cling to:

1. God is after your joy, not just your comfort.
   He may allow temporary pain to set you free from lesser hopes, so you can be anchored in eternal ones.
2. You are not earning God’s love—you are responding to it.
   Refinement isn’t performance; it’s participation. You’re not proving yourself; you’re being renewed in the image of the One who gave Himself for you.
3. Your pain has a purpose, even if you can’t see it yet.
   The gospel doesn’t explain all suffering, but it gives you the one thing you need: a suffering Savior who loves you and is making you more radiant than gold (1 Peter 1:6–7).

What Does It Mean to Be “Refined for His Glory”?

• It means you are not forgotten.
• It means your fire is not wasted.
• It means the hardest seasons may be the most important ones for shaping your soul into something eternal.
• It means your story, your wounds, your perseverance—all of it—will one day shine with His glory.

And it means this: Jesus was consumed so that you could be refined.

As Keller once said:

“If you know Jesus took the only fire that could truly destroy you, then whatever fire you're in now can only make you more beautiful.”

Devotional Prayer

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—our Redeemer, our Refiner, our Comforter—
We come to You now not as strong or wise, but as needy children in the fire.

Lord, we confess: we often resist the very things You use to shape us.
We shrink back from trials, we doubt in suffering, and we forget that Your glory is being worked in us—not in spite of the fire, but through it.
Yet You, O Lord, are patient and kind. You do not abandon us in the heat—You draw near. You are the Refiner who sits by the fire, never turning away, watching until Your image is reflected in us.

Thank You, Father, that in Christ, our trials are never punishment.
Because Jesus bore the full weight of judgment at the cross, the flames that touch us now are flames of love—removing our pride, softening our hearts, and drawing us deeper into Your joy.

Thank You, Jesus, for entering the fire first—for suffering not just with us but for us—so we would never be consumed. You were abandoned so we would be accepted. You were made like sin so we might shine with righteousness.

And Holy Spirit, give us grace to endure.
Help us not waste our suffering. Make us a people who trust You when the way is dark, who cling to You when we feel undone, and who look forward to the day when every scar will shine with glory.

Let our lives—purified by trials and anchored in grace—reflect something of the weight, the beauty, and the radiance of Jesus.
May we be refined not for our success, not for our comfort, but for Your glory.

In the name of Christ, our suffering Savior and risen King,
Amen.

Lyrics

Verse 1
The fire is rising all around,
My faith feels fragile, shaken down
But this is not Your wrath or scorn—
It’s grace disguised in winds that storm
You’re not far off, You’re drawing near
The flame reveals what I hold dear

Chorus
This is the fire that love allows,
The heat that melts the idols down
Not to destroy, but to renew,
To make my heart belong to You
Refined by grace, not by demand—
I’m held within the Savior’s hands
The cross was wrath, the flame is now—
The fire that love allows

Verse 2
You bore the fire I could not face,
You stood alone in judgment’s place
Now every flame that touches me
Is not to curse—but set me free
You cleanse with care, You do not leave
Until Your image shines through me

Chorus
This is the fire that love allows,
The heat that melts the idols down
Not to destroy, but to renew,
To make my heart belong to You
Refined by grace, not by demand—
I’m held within the Savior’s hands
The cross was wrath, the flame is now—
The fire that love allows

Bridge
Though I walk through shadows deep,
Where questions burn and angels weep
Still I know, through every trial—
This pain is held in mercy’s smile
For scars will shine like polished gold
When all Your glory is revealed

Verse 3
So teach me, Lord, to trust the heat
To lay my sorrows at Your feet
Not asking when You’ll pull me through
But what You’re forming me into
For You, O Lord, were burned for me
Now You are all my eyes can see

Final Chorus
This is the fire that love allows,
The path You walked, I walk it now
And every tear that hits the ground
Will rise again in glory’s crown
Refined by grace, I bow and sing—
You’ve made the ash a holy thing
The cross was wrath, the flame is now—
The fire that love allows

Outro
This is the fire that love allows,
The path You walked, I walk it now
And every tear that hits the ground
Will rise again in glory’s crown
Refined by grace, I bow and sing—
Your cross has crowned my suffering
The cross was wrath, the flame is now—
The fire that love allows